When Paul Hauss of Olmsted Township, Ohio, noticed that his neighbor Janet Gersteen was in desperate need of a new roof that she could not possibly afford, he took it upon himself to make sure that she got one. Hauss sent emails explaining his neighbor’s situation to the corporate office of building materials distributor Allied Building Products, and the company quickly responded to help the struggling homeowner.
“Allied is always looking to give back when possible to the communities that they service,” said Mike Handschumacher, service center manager for Allied’s Akron, Ohio, branch. Once Allied was on board with the project, National Sales Manager John Mike passed the job along to Handschumacher, who was put in charge of finding a reputable local roofing contractor to provide the labor completely free of charge. He decided to approach West Side Roofing of Brook Park, Ohio, with the unique job — a choice he said he made because the company is “a loyal contractor that is GAF certified and cares about giving back to the community when possible.”